I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series
Shifting on her futon, Mara was initially confused when she felt another body lying next to hers, but immediately relaxed as she started to recall yesterday's events. The blonde demoness and her new girlfriend had indeed met Belldandy and Keiichi after their first date as couple and spent some time together with those two. In a way it was a truly bizarre experience and one she had never envisioned herself to take part in; enjoying some tea with the other couple while talking about their respective dates. If anyone told her a few years ago that this was going to happen, Mara would've most certainly called them crazy.
Ever since she got released from that blasted CD, the three Norns had been a source of a major headache for the demoness and with her attempts to send home failing one after the other, Mara wasn't exactly a huge fan of Belldandy and especially, Keiichi. While she didn't hate them in the most traditional sense of the word, the blonde had no desire to spend any more time around them than it was absolutely necessary, yet in all irony, she now faced the possibility of becoming a part of their extended family if things went right for once.
It was something that somewhat intimidated her, worrying that given her rotten luck, something was bound to go wrong at some point and this would end up just as badly as any other plan of hers. Or perhaps, Urd could change her mind after she's going back into being a goddess, although a part of her really trusted her lover's words. Of course it would also be the fact that this might eventually become a long distance relationship once both had to return to their duties; especially if they no longer had to remain in the mortal realm. Ironically, it was thanks to that brunette goddess and her husband that she still had an excuse to stay in Nekomi, despite all the previous trouble those two had caused her.
Forming a tiny illumination ball on her palm, Mara checked the analog alarm clock next to their bed and noticing that it was 5:38 am, she decided against getting up this early in the morning. However, she did get a nice view of the bronze skinned beauty next to her, in all her naked glory.
'What a bombshell… Those stupid celestials don't know what they're missing! They want perfection, and yet fail to notice how great she is. Not only she's got a fun personality, but, her sexy body is definitely a sweet bonus on top of that. Well, their loss, my gain I guess! And she looks so cute and innocent right now. Who would've thought that she was that aggressive a few hours ago?'
Giggling, Mara had to admit that the physical aspect of their relationship came a lot sooner than either of them had initially anticipated. After all, it was rather hard for either of them to ignore the attraction that started to manifest several centuries ago, when they first decided to hang around as adults. It was then when they stopped seeing each other as playmates like they did during in their childhood and began to notice things than most friends wouldn't normally pay attention to. Mara had actually caught herself checking on Urd's sinful curves more than often when the bronze skinned Norn tried a new dress; something that didn't go totally unnoticed.
There was even a rather obscure comment back then, when Urd told her that she considered herself as a bi-sexual, although in a rather typical manner for her, Mara had completely missed the point and failed to realize the implications behind it. Worse, that was before they both got too absorbed with their roles and assignments as members of their respective species and inevitably grew more distant from each other. Which most likely meant that she had actually missed an opportunity back then, as Urd avoided to bring such topics during the rest of the times they went out together.
As the whole topic was pushed aside and never mentioned for all this time, there was definitely some buildup of emotions between them and after their otherwise innocent date, followed by a launch and a little party once they returned home, they barely managed to hold back after they retired for the night. It was like a dam breaking and causing an apocalyptic flood, and thankfully, the sound dampening spell she cast on the room prevented the rest of the residents from hearing their otherwise loud voices as the night progressed.
Perhaps both should've shown a bit more restraint, with Mara blushing at the memory of some of the things they did a few hours ago, yet the experience left them both with a satisfied feeling and no regrets.
'Now that I think of it… Where did she learn half of that stuff? And… how did my panties end up in that book shelf? Actually, do I even want to know?'
Looking around, the blonde decided to tidy Urd's room as their clothes were thrown all over the place. As part of their… activities, they avoided to remove them with magic and instead, did that in the old fashioned way, with the discarded articles of clothing launched without any care as to where they ended up to. At the very least, Mara wished to avoid having anyone getting a glimpse of this sight when they woke up, especially that Excalibur and his almost perfect memory.
However, she did have to give him some credit for not only setting up the whole date, but also moving to the living room to offer them some privacy.
'Maybe he's not a bad guy… sword… robot… whatever he is. After all, he did me a favor and everything, so, I might cut him some slack. Come to think of it, I might give him some trinket as a thank you gift and get it over with. Hm… I should also pick my stuff from that arcade, too. I doubt that I'll get back there, even if we return here on Earth for good. I wonder if those useless rat servants of mine missed me?'
Feeling the empty spot next to her, Urd's eyes opened, wondering where did her girlfriend went to, this early in morning. Spotting the demoness tidy their room, Urd's lips curled up as she could hardly believe that, Mara of all people would care enough to do such a thing. And given how hard it was to get rid of certain habits, the half demoness closed her eyes and pretended that she was asleep; although, far from quiet.
"Oh!... Yes!..."
"Huh? Did you say something, Urd?" Turning over to their futon, Mara noticed that she was apparently asleep and probably talking in her sleep.
"Mm!... that's it!..."
'Whoa! She's still in that mood? Boy, I did a great job!'
"Oh… you naughty boy…"
'Yep! I sure... Uh… wait! Her naughty what?'
"Yes! Keiichi!..."
"Who?!"
Struggling not to laugh at the scandalized voice of her girlfriend, Urd bit her lower lip, although her shaking shoulders betrayed her.
"Ha, ha. Very funny, Urd…"
"Oh, come on! I totally got you, Ma-chan!" said the half demoness as she turned towards her lover.
"Yeah, yeah… I wonder what your sister would've thought if she heard that," said Mara with a grin, trying to come back with something that would've stopped the Norn of the past from teasing her further.
"Hey! That's cheating! Don't involve others into this!" Pausing for a moment, Urd looked around almost as if she was trying to find something or rather, someone. "Hey, where's Excalibur?"
"Huh? He said that he was going to spend the night with Peorth and Lind. I thought that you heard it too."
"Hm… I was kind of distracted by a pretty girl, and I didn't pay too much attention," said Urd, giving her a wink. "Although, Peorth and Lind? Not bad for an amateur, I'd say! Not bad at all!"
"Uh… I think you've got something entirely different in mind, but, either way, he should be in the living room," said Mara, with a grin that made her canines poke out of her lips. It was then however, when she realized the implications of her girlfriend's confusion as to his whereabouts. "Hold on a sec, Urd! Do you mean that you didn't mind having him around, yesterday?"
"Well, I kind of forgot about that detail, but…" started the Norn of the past with a grin. "Don't tell me you're shy!"
"Hey! Who's shy? I just don't like others peeping on me, that's all!" countered Mara, narrowing her eyes at the smiling half demoness. "And cut that nonsense! You're just pulling my leg, there's no way you're that loose!"
"Guilty as charged, Ma-chan. Now come and get some more sleep, it's too early to get up."
"Okay, I just wanted to tidy this place up a bit," said the blonde as she went back to their futon, snuggling next to a grinning Urd. "What's so funny, now?"
"I never thought you were the cute housewife type, Ma-chan! You're already tidying my room!" said Urd as she hugged the blushing demoness tightly. "Oh, I can't wait to try your homemade cooking, too! It's going to be so great to have an adorable girlfriend preparing my meals!"
"No way in Hell! I'm not a cook and definitely not a housewife!" shot Mara as she struggled to get out of her lover's embrace, and turn around, feeling that the half demoness was just making fun of her. That, and she also wanted to avoid letting Urd see her fierce blush.
"Hey, stop struggling that much, Ma-chan! You're rubbing too hard against me!"
"And that's a problem because?"
Lowering her voice an octave, Urd leaned closer and lustily narrowed her eyes at the surprised blonde. "Because you got me in the mood!"
"At this ungodly hour?!" asked the stunned Mara.
"We're both demons here, silly. Of course it's not a problem if it's such an ungodly hour!"
"Bad pun and let go of my buns!"
"Mrowr!"
"EEKKK! Not that again!"
XXX
Asgard
The Daitenkaicho nearly jumped out of his bed when the phone placed on his nightstand rang. It was so atypical to receive calls this late in the night that he feared the worst; a conflict had once again broke out between them and the demons. With the situation over at the mortal realm being extremely volatile, all it needed was one misunderstanding to start shooting at each other. And with Surt being in the general vicinity, Tyr had no reasons to feel any better about this.
"It is I!" There was a definite edge on his voice, almost as if he feared to listen to what terrible event had taken part while he slept; as a matter of fact, he was so rattled that he hadn't even bothered to look at the caller ID.
"Wah!...Our baby grew up!..."
"Excuse me?..." Blinking hard as he turned to stare at the receiver with a baffled expression on his face, Tyr had no idea what possessed his ex wife to call him this early in the morning to say something like that.
"Urd-chan is a big girl now!" came Hild's somewhat over dramatic response, although given how she liked to fake those, Tyr was unsure if she was for real this time or not.
"I may risk sounding like a sarcastic jerk, but… it's been rather painfully obvious that she's a grownup. As a matter of fact, it's already been a long time since Urd's grown into a fine goddess," said Tyr, trying to find something to add without sounding too offensive. "I mean… she can already wear some of your clothes without any problems."
"That she does! And I wasn't talking about her body, actually."
"Then what?"
"She's getting married!"
"Huh? When did that happen?" asked the confused god, trying to figure out what was going on here. "I thought she just got herself a girlfriend…"
"Well… she did, but... I know that she's serious this time!" countered the distressed demoness.
"This time?" Letting a tired sigh, the Daitenkaicho shook his head as he recalled all the failed relationships his eldest daughter had gotten herself into and while he wanted to sound optimistic, he was far from ready to start making preparation for a wedding reception. "Hild… she's far from a goddess who's going to end up married that easily. It's not the first and far from the last time, Urd's fooling around."
"Are you calling our daughter a slut?" Her voice was so low that the Daitenkaicho was glad that his former wife was on a totally different realm from him right now.
"No! Look, she's just more independent and fun individual who's not not in a rush to get married after a single relationship, that's all!" said Tyr, struggling with his words.
"Do you want me to tell Bell-chan that her dad thinks she's a dependent and boring goddess?"
"No! Stop muddling around with what I'm saying! Besides, it was about time she got married!"
"Dunno… she could've used some more experience in the shack, I'd say," replied Hild with a somewhat unimpressed tone. "She's trying, I'll give that much, but she needs to step up her game. Half of the positions she's trying are kind of beginner stuff, with the other half… Well, it's fun to watch but not for the right reasons."
"Are you spying on my daughter's intimate moments?" growled the god, giving his receiver a dirty look.
"Spying? I'm recording them!" said the suddenly cheerful Hild. "For posterity, of course!"
"For posterity, my posterior!" nearly shouted the irate god. "You're calling me in the middle of the night and tell me you're filming Belldandy while she's… you know!..."
"In my defense it's a nice way to promote cross species relationships! That and she's got a bubbly, pert…"
"Don't you even dare finish that sentence! And there's no need to promote anything! You of all people should know what a terrible idea that's going to be!"
"Oh? Why not? The Gate's no longer functional, right?"
"Uh… about that..."
"If nothing… now is the right time to get this going!"
"Not with my daughter acting like a… a… an adult actress!"
"Fine, fine!... I'll use one of our videos…"
"Our… what?!"
"Okay! I won't use anything! Sheesh!... You're so hard to deal with sometimes."
"Me?! I didn't even know that such things existed to begin with!"
"I haven't told you? Funny that…" said Hild with a chuckle, trying to imagine his blush that he must had on his face. "Say, you want me to send you some of the good ones?"
"Uh…"
"You are thinking about it, aren't you?"
"Be quiet! I don't need them!" Pinching the bridge of his nose, Tyr was struggling to make sense of what the demoness on the other end of the line was up to. Surely she didn't call him just to joke and neither she was upset about Urd's recent relationship. However, there's one thing unique about their daughter's latest lover, compared to any of her previous ones; she was a demoness. And coupled by the references about cross species relationships, Tyr started to suspect that something else was going on here and his ex wife simply went around the subject, trying to get the best opportunity to bring it up. "Let me guess… The real reason you've called me is to talk about the Gate."
"Who, me?"
"Don't feign ignorance, Hild, I know you better than that. You're worried about Urd and Mara staying together after the former goes back at being a goddess."
"Very well… I'll admit that I'm not comfortable with the thought that there's no way of telling what's going to happen then," said Hild with a sigh. "The Gate might be offline now, but, what if it gets re-installed in your System? Then what?"
"I'm unsure myself," admitted the god after a short pause. "There are no previous incidents where the Gate was unavailable, and neither we have a protocol to cover such a scenario."
"Then you realize why I'm worried. I've just realized that our daughter's relationship might get ruined by that... abomination and I don't want her to deal with it! Can't we find an alternative for them?"
"Like what?"
"Make an exception, since the Gate is unavailable to begin with! After all, for how long you'll have to keep them waiting for a test?"
"That's!…" started the aghast god, as he tried to come up with a response. "That's like asking for trouble! It's impossible for the others to avoid accusing me for making loopholes to help my daughter and the only thing I'll accomplish is draw too much attention to them. It's not difficult to see where that's going to head to…"
"I'm afraid I do," admitted Hild with a groan. "Still, if nothing at all is done, they'll have to live with a threat constantly looming over the horizon and no way to relax and raise a family. The so-called purpose of that thing is going to be rather moot, as it won't prevent any impending tragedy but cause it, instead. Not that this isn't already the case with everyone else, mind tell you."
"I'm perfectly aware of your views of the Gate, yet in this case I'll have to agree with you. It's not going to be easy on them just to deal with the contradicting roles of their nature, let alone a pending test."
"Look, I'm sure that the easiest way is to simply keep Urd as a demoness and deny anyone the right of poking their noses into my child's life. However, while I love employing the carrot and stick strategy in general, I'd wish to avoid making her think that I've set her up and exploited her feelings for Mara to keep her as a demoness. I did promise her to return back at being a goddess and by all Hell I will keep my word!"
"You know… sometimes I really wonder why she avoided you that much," said Tyr with a sad tone. "You're a much better mother than you let others think."
"Shut up… I don't want to hear that; not right now."
Hearing the edge on her voice, the Daitenkaicho remained quiet for a moment, aware that Hild only displayed her softer side at her own volition; never when someone tried to force her. "This still leaves us with that problem."
"Yes, and I think that the best way is to do something about it, not just for Urd's sake, but for everyone else too! What's up with that ambiguous way of dealing with it, anyway? If it's not working, then get rid of that stupid thing!"
"It's not that simple, Hild!"
"It's not that difficult, either! Or should I ask Surt and Skrymir to finish what they've started?"
"Don't you dare! They've already made a huge mess to begin with and this whole situation with the rogue god and the Lunar Prison, there's no need for more chaos!"
"Enough nonsense!" Surprising her former husband with a much harsher tone than usual, a clear sign that she was no longer joking or even in a pleasant mood. "Tomorrow I'm removing the last remnants of the Judgement Gate from our mainframe and withdraw all support for that measure. There's no way I'll keep something like that just to appease some xenophobic celestials and their hypocritical excuses over impending tragedies. Without a functional test, it's no longer necessary to keep that law around, and if you're afraid to admit that to your subordinates, you're doing the wrong job, Tyr. Grow a pair or resign and let someone else teach them who's the boss!"
"But!…"
"No more excuses! For Niflheim's sake, what happened to you?" said Hild, raising her voice, feeling her frustration reach a dangerous level. "You sound like a housebroken pet, not a leader! Stop being this defensive and stand up for yourself! What if they won't like it?... Who cares? I won't support a test that effectively could work as universal backdoor to so many systems in order to work. I'd rather have those tragedies happen all the time, than allow someone to hack that Gate and gain access to everyone's files. If you want to ban cross species relationships, just do it without using such excuses and get it over with!"
"Very well…" Tyr had had enough, as one after the other those around him accused him of being too soft and indecisive. Especially when it came to his relations with the Councilors and how his father used to defy them whenever he thought that he was right about something. In all seriousness, Tyr never considered Odin's harshness as a good thing, opting for a more understanding stance, but at the same time, he had to admit that this attitude allowed some Councilors to push their own agendas; thinking that he was too afraid to oppose them. "Loki had already uninstalled that Gate from the network, anyway. So, the only thing left is to recall that measure and get it over with. It's not going to be pretty, though; that much I know. With everything that happened lately, there's tension in the air, Hild. While things seem to be fine, I can feel that more trouble is brewing and we might have to deal with more problems far sooner than expected."
"I know… Look, I wasn't trying to snap at you, it's just that I don't want our daughter to get in the same situation like we did; and for no reason at all, this time," admitted Hild, as she tried to relax.
"No, I think you're right about it. Keeping her on a waiting list could ruin her chances for finding any happiness. That wasn't the point of the Gate, or at least, not the measure I had agreed to support in the past. The way things currently are, it's more or less a ban and that's not something I'm willing to keep around anymore."
"That's a relief," said Hild as she regained her cheerful attitude once again. "Oh, and since you've mentioned that brother of yours…"
"Adopted brother, but…" started Tyr with a sigh. He was already experiencing a headache from all this conversation and apparently that illustrious brother of his, the god knew that things would only get worse. "What did he do, this time?"
"Um... nothing too extreme; just turned Keiichi-kun immortal," offered Hild with an amused tone in her voice.
"Oh. Wait!… What did you just say?!"
"Apparently, Loki's gift to your son-in-law was something that totally halted his natural aging process. He's still a human, albeit one who no longer suffers from old age and effectively can live indefinitely as long as he takes care of himself," explained Hild.
"That's it! I'll have him arrested this time!"
"Not so fast, Tyr. What's so bad about it?"
"Well…" Pausing for a second, the god tried to come up with all the things that he thought were wrong, although in a way, he could understand that it was actually convenient from a certain perspective. He too had offered Keiichi the option of becoming an artificial god and actually hoped that he would've accepted for Belldandy's sake. "Are you suggesting to keep quiet about this?"
"For now, I think it's the best option. I just informed you to avoid any overreactions when you'd find out on your own. Let's allow the boy to see the benefits of immortality before he dismisses your offer for the second time."
"Oh? You assume that I'll try to convince him again?"
"I know that you will, Tyr. Keiichi's too young to see things from Belldandy's perspective right now and I have no doubts that you'll attempt to make sure that she's not going to end up visiting a grave every year to offer some flowers."
"Fine… I'll let it slip; for now," admitted the Daitenkaicho, despite his urge to expose Loki's scheme. "I can see why that could be useful."
"Perfect! Now you'll have to excuse me, but, I've got a goddess to wake up and tell her the good news about Urd-chan!"
"Who are you…" started Tyr, when he realized that she must've talking about his wife and immediately his eyes went wide. "No, wait! Leave Ansuz out of this! Hild?... Hello?..."
Noticing that the demoness had already ended the call, the god set the headset back on top of the phone, shaking his head. He had no doubts that his wife would be happy about Urd, but at the same time, the topic about the Gate was most likely going to be brought up at some point. And given that, Ansuz was in charge of that test, things could get a bit out of hand.
'Ugh… she never listens to anyone… I just hope she won't make a huge mess with this. Wait… who am I kidding?'
XXX
Nekomi, Japan
'Why me?'
Closing the door behind her, Lind's face was matching her hair color perfectly. As soon as she heard that scream, she had assumed that the half demoness had gotten out of control and rushed to assist Mara in restraining her. Of course, what was taking place in that room didn't require her intervention and thankfully, they were under the futon's covers, sparing her from witnessing that scene in all its titillating details.
Hearing a sigh from her side, Lind turned to the rose goddess, who was shaking her head.
"I told you."
"As a Valkyrie it's my duty to investigate when such a disruptions occurs. It's not my fault that the cause is… well… different from what I had in mind."
Ignoring Peorth's giggle, Lind walked past her and their silent synthetic, who was now their roommate as well. As the trio retreated back to the living room, the blue haired goddess watched the sentient weapon shift back into his sword form, in order to get to his pedestal that counted as a bed for him.
Sensing her curious gaze, Excalibur decided to address her instead of ignoring the warrior, especially as a way of making her forget about the previous incident. "Is there something wrong?"
"Not really. I'm merely puzzled as to why you're sleeping in your sword form, considering that most of time you've utilizing your humanoid one."
"Oh, I just find it to be the most convenient option really. A bed takes a lot of surface area of a room, especially when it's as small as the ones available here. Not to mention that there are social issues when it comes to people sleeping together; even if they use separate beds," explained Excalibur.
"Really? What kind of issues?" asked the confused Valkyrie, titling her head.
Deciding that it was better to intervene as she felt that this topic was more up her alley, Peorth turned over in her bed and faced Lind who was about to get some rest in her own futon. "It's really obvious, Lind. When people of opposite genders share a bedroom, those around them start to assume that they're involved in some sort of relationship."
"But, the same thing happens with us and nobody really says anything…"
"That's not the same. We're doing this because there are simply not enough free rooms in this house, so we have to share one," explained Peorth. "Now... like I said, it's mostly prominent with those of opposite genders, not the same one."
"Then what about Urd and Mara? I may not want to talk about it, but, I'm fairly sure that it counts as such," insisted the Valkyrie.
'I had to open my mouth, didn't I?' Letting a sigh, Peorth had already regretted trying to hold an argument with the headstrong warrior; not this early in the morning at least. "Those two are a couple and as such, the same rules don't apply to them. On the other hand, if Excalibur was to sleep here while in his humanoid form, the others might get the wrong idea."
"Wait a moment… Are you telling me that the others would think that I'll do such things on the first opportunity I'd find?" asked the somewhat offended Valkyrie with a frown forming on her face.
"No, of course not!"
"That's entirely correct. It's absolutely ludicrous for anyone to assume something like that for you," said Excalibur, before he added at a much lower voice. "Can't say the same about her, though…"
Nodding, as she was happy to have someone support her, Peorth's smile turned into a frown when she realized just what the synthetic had said. "Well… excuse me, mister! I'm allowing you to share a room with me and this is what I'm getting back?"
It was already too late when Excalibur realized that he wasn't dealing with Urd, but one who took such idle comments way more seriously; a fact that was backed by the information he had acquired from Yggdrasil mainframe, as it brought the incident between her and Belldandy. 'Just great… I need to be more careful what I say around others. I don't like the look she's giving me.'
"Well? No more smart remarks?" taunted Peorth, while a series of prickly vines got out of her bed covers, wiggling menacingly.
"That's enough! I thank you both for answering my question, but, I don't think that blowing up the house is necessary at this point of time. And given that's it's too early to start our day, I recommend that we go back to sleep for a while longer," said Lind reaching to grab the sentient weapon along with his scabbard and place him next to her.
"E-Excuse me?... This isn't my bed..."
"No comments. We're going to sleep and I'll ensure that you won't get into a fight with Peorth. Now, go to sleep and be quiet."
"What about my personal space? And what about the entire discussion we just had? I don't think that sharing a futon..." started the synthetic, before Lind interrupted him.
"It's not unusual for a member of the Fighting Wings to sleep with a weapon within her arms' reach," said Lind as she pulled the covers and prepared to go back to sleep, despite the sword's feeble attempts to talk her out of it.
Meanwhile, Peorth was far too stunned to even offer a snide remark, as she would've never expected the Valkyrie to force the synthetic to literally sleep with her. Sure, it was merely a technicality and given his current form, Lind probably thought nothing of it.
'And they call me the Naughty Rose… Good Heavens, I never saw that one coming! Hm… this is interesting. I wonder what else one can learn about her that would've never expected? I guess it's going to be fun to watch her interact with that sword after we get up.'
XXX
Unknown location, on board CMV Skidbladnir
Resting on his cozy basket he had his subordinates create from him, the tiny wolf cab was absolutely happy to get some sleep after all the hard work he had done, yesterday. Getting those robots into shape was a trickier task than he had initially expected and the extensive modifications were vastly differentiating them from the rest of the stock models Odal had created. That included a snout housing significantly better olfactory sensors and a pair of extremely sensitive ears like his own, capable of much better directional hearing than the previous microphones they had installed. Sure, Odal just argued that they looked like having wolf shaped head sensors, but Fenrir was certain that the god was simply jealous he hadn't come up with that idea in the first place. Preliminary testing had proven them to be excellent trackers and even without their fancy systems, they could detect targets relying on ancient methods, proven over the course of countless millennia.
All in all, the wolf pup had managed to gain some sort of recognition from the others who treated him like a raving lunatic. Well… it didn't help that he liked to push things a bit too far at times, however, Fenrir was quite proud to have an entire squad under his guidance and so far, he had proven to be a leader capable of thinking outside the box.
'Cookies… delicious, bacon flavored… Huh? What was that?'
Opening his eyes, the canine looked around the room for the source of the noise that suddenly woke him up. The robots had left a few hours ago to perform their night time maintenance routines and as a result, he was the only one guarding the supplies he had pilfered from Odal.
"Okay! Who's there? Come out now, or I'll roll you in bacon and eat your bacon!"
Getting no reply Fenrir decided to investigate further, before he would dismiss it as part of his imagination. Climbing out of his cozy basket while muttering some curses that no puppy should ever utter, the dread wolf started to check around the room for anything that seemed to be out of place or even smelt strange. Unfortunately, without taking inventory of all the assorted resources, it was hard to determine what was supposed to be normal and what counted as strange.
'Did I just imagine that? Hm… I don't like this, but, then again… it must've been part of my dream. Otherwise the alarms would've gone off. Yeah, that must be it.'
Happy that nothing was out of place, the tiny pup went back to sleep; failing to notice two ravens poking their heads out of a nearby box. Staring at him quietly, the pair of birds nodded at each other and snuck away, before the wolf realized that they were even there in the first place.
After all, their mission had just began.
XXX
Nekomi, Japan
Letting out a tired grunt, Mara felt totally spent, even though she had just gotten out of the bed. While everyone else in the house was full of energy and preparing for the new day ahead of them, the blonde demoness only wanted to find a place where she could have a nice nap. Not only Urd had kept her up for most of the night, the fact that she was unaccustomed of sleeping on a futon didn't make matters easier for her.
Of course, she didn't mind mind having some more physical interactions with her new girlfriend, although the sleeping arrangements were something that she had to slowly get used to. Mara preferred to sleep in coffins, not unlike vampires from popular fiction; a habit that was now proving to be a liability. Still, she didn't make a big deal about it and assumed that it was merely a small setback, yet it wasn't the only thing that she had to deal with.
The most obvious change was that she was suddenly living together with those she tried to mess around with for the last couple of years. Urd had a particularly strong bond with her sisters which actually meant that sooner or later, the demoness would've to get used to the idea of being around them. As a matter of fact, she had already experienced that during the lunch they had together with Belldandy and Keiichi yesterday, although it wasn't as bad as she had originally feared.
'I can do it! Sure, it's not like those two will suddenly start to act all touchy-feely around…'
Just as she walked down the main hall and towards the living room, the blonde managed to get a nice glimpse of Belldandy kissing Keiichi as the latter was about to have his breakfast; a sight so packed with positive emotions that made the demoness feel a shiver down her spine. 'I can't do it!'
"Good morning, Mara."
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, the blonde turned to her side only to find Skuld who was surprisingly calm, considering that she must've also seen those two interact with each other. "Morning. Um… Say, Skuld?... Aren't you going to throw a bomb or something?"
"Huh? Why should I do that?"
Blinking, the demoness momentarily wondered if the young goddess had missed the kiss between Keiichi and Belldandy, but as it seemed, the couple made no effort to avoid others from watching them. Which naturally meant that this probably happened more than a few times already. "Um… I thought that you'd get… upset about them?"
"Oh, you mean Keiichi and oneesama kissing? I kind of… you know… got used to it," said Skuld with a shrug, even if there was a hint of hesitation in her voice. "What I'll need to get accustomed to, is you and Urd being… noisy during the night."
"Huh? But... we put a spell on the room!" objected the demoness.
"Not throughout the entire night," said Skuld with a blush as she crossed her arms, glaring at the blonde who suddenly remembered an important detail.
"Oh, yeah… I didn't have the time to do that when…"
"I don't need to know the details!"
"Um, excuse me for the interruption, but can I ask for your help, Skuld?"
Turning to their side, they found the rose goddess with an obviously troubled expression on her face.
"Sure thing, Peorth! Although, what's the problem?" asked the Norn, eager to deal with something that hopefully required her expertise and not Urd's late night activities.
"It looks like Excalibur has broken down," said the brunette goddess with a frown.
"What? How is that even possible? Never mind that… let me take a look!"
"Sure, come this way. He's in the living room with Lind."
Remembering about the abandoned arcade, Mara decided to go there and pick all her supplies, before she got too distracted with everything else happening around her. "You'll have to excuse me but I've got some stuff to do. I doubt that it's going to take too long, but, If Urd wakes up, tell her that I'll return soon enough."
"No worries, Mara! I'll take care of neesan!"
Offering a nod, the blonde demoness headed for the door, only to pause for a moment, when she realized a tiny detail.
'Since when did she start calling Urd neesan? I thought only Belldandy did that; not Skuld. Interesting...'
XXX
Abandoned arcade, Nekomi
Hovering above the dilapidated structure, Mara couldn't help but smile as she stared at the place that used to be her unofficial headquarters during the last couple of years. With the new developments, it was doubtful that she would ever need to come back to this place and as such, the demoness wanted to gather the last of her resources that were left behind; mostly unfinished prototypes that were meant to be used against the goddesses in order to finally sent them back in Asgard.
'Heh… it almost feels nostalgic in a way. Even if it was just days ago. Oh well, I'd better gather my stuff and even get those rodents. Who knows? I might come to need them in the future, even if they were mostly worthless…'
As she got closer, though, the faint yet distinctive sound of music could be heard from inside. 'Strange… Is Hild-sama still here? That could explain why there's…'
Entering through one of the several broken windows, Mara was absolutely stunned by what she saw. In the middle of the room was a tiny stage, surrounded by equally small lights and a ball that suspended from a crane like structure, covered in several dozen reflective mirror shards. Even stranger was the sight of her three rodent assistants dancing on the middle of that stage, dressed in colorful yet mismatched clothes and even some outrageously large wigs, pointing at the shiny ball hanging above their heads with their little paws.
"Yay! Disco!"
Their little dance came to an abrupt halt when the music from the portable CD player stopped, and as the turned to figure out why that was the case, they saw a not so happy Mara stomping her foot on the floor.
"EEK! M-Mara-sama!"
"That's right, you filthy rodents!" snarled the blonde demoness as she narrowed her eyes at them. "Having fun while I was away?"
"P-Please spare us! W-We didn't have a-anything to d-do while…"
"Oh, and that means you can use my resources to throw parties?" asked the irate demoness, pointing at the dance stage, as well as some leftover pieces of half eaten cheese lying around on the floor. "Well? What do you have to say about that?"
"Uh… Well… We…"
"You, what?... I go on a mission assigned to me by the Daimakaicho herself, and you worthless bums waste time and resources on this… this nonsense!" yelled Mara, as her eyes light up in a fearful display of crimson light, making the three rats visibly shake.
"B-But… t-the mission was to h-have fun with U-Urd…"
"Silence! I'm working hard to make sure she's fine and… well… take care of her, and…" feeling a bit bashful all of a sudden, the blonde decided to stop before she said anything too much in front of those three, yet the rodents felt that this was their only way out of their predicament.
"Did something good happen, Mara-sama?"
"Well… she and I are kind of… dating, I guess…" started the demoness, as she nervously scratched the back of her head.
"Yay! Congratulations, Mara-sama! We knew you'd do it!"
"Of… of course! Such a thing is just a piece of cake for me!"
"As expected of Niflheim's top demoness! Hurray!"
"Well… what can I say?" laughed Mara, while her three assistants continued to shower her with praise.
"We should celebrate this wonderful event!"
"Hm... I don't see why not. Okay! It's a party!"
As the music resumed and the plans for punishing her assistants were all but forgotten, the blonde demoness was unaware that her actions were actually monitored by her superiors; and they didn't seem to be particularly impressed.
XXX
MMV Naglfar, high above Martian orbit
"Sheesh!... She's so simple minded sometimes!"
Watching the holo-display from her comfortable bed onboard the demonic battleship, Hild's childlike avatar couldn't help but shake her head at how easily those three rodents made Mara forget about their antics. Of course, she was far from shocked to see her potential daughter-in-law to act like that, and if she had to be brutally honest, it was somewhat expected of her to do. Perhaps in a way, this was part of the reason her daughter felt so attracted by the blonde; she was the closest to her in terms of personality, as she was mostly harmless and nowhere as focused on making people miserable like some other demons did.
"Tell me about it! I would've thrown those idiots to some mouse traps…" Looking over his shoulder from his position on the nearby couch where he had spent the night, Surt seemed rather unimpressed by Mara's disciplinary methods; or rather the lack of anything that counted as such.
"Boy… You sure sound really grumpy," said Hild as she turned to face her subordinate, who had insisted to spend the night on the couch. "If you didn't like sleeping there, then why not joining me on the bed? There's more than enough space for the two of us here, and it's way more comfortable!"
"Thanks but no thanks!" shot Surt back at her. "I've got no intentions to do that while you look like that!"
Scratching her head, as she checked her current body, Hild raised an eyebrow and then her lips curled up in a playful smile. "Oh? Then if I summoned my main body… You wouldn't have any problems?"
"Don't mess around with my words! I never said that! Besides, you're the one who decided to camp in my room!" replied the dark haired demon, turning around, as he tried to get some extra sleep.
"What was I supposed to do? I've checked the so called cabins in this ship and none of them is nearly as comfortable as the one reserved for the captain!"
"That's because it's a battleship! We use it as a mobile base of operations, not as five star hotel!" said Surt, trying to avoid sounding too sarcastic, as he would've normally been if he was talking to anyone else.
"Really? I do remember seeing some more cabins for VIPs and high ranked officers in the original schematics of this vessel… What happened to them?" asked the Daimakaicho with a raised eyebrow.
"I've repurposed them, of course!"
"Of course?... Who said that going for it was a great idea?"
"Common sense! There's always the need for tertiary backup systems in case the secondary ones aren't sufficient. Laugh at me as much as you want, but, I'd rather have a functional ship, instead of having to toss them the jacuzzi because we have no working fire control systems," argued the ruler of Muspelheim, in an effort to defend his decisions.
"I'll give you a point for thinking that far, but to be honest with you… If it comes to have to rely on a tertiary system, the rest of the ship is most likely going to be on such a terrible state that you might as well wish you had a jacuzzi to throw at them!" countered the little Daimakaicho as she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Duly noted."
Frowning a bit, Hild waited for a few moments and when she realized that her subordinate had gone quiet she couldn't help but try to find out what was going on. "What? No more remarks than that? Are you feeling okay, Surt?"
"I'm fine! I just had to listen to your phone calls all night long! Seriously… couldn't you just call them at a better time?" asked the dark haired demon, as he turned to face her once again.
"Oh! I'm sorry about that, but, I thought it was for the best to talk about it as soon as possible. Last thing I needed was for poor Urd-chan to face that stupid test," explained Hild with a huff, crossing her arms. "Can you believe that they still haven't decided what to do with the broken Judgement Gate?"
"I do, and I must say that I'm far from surprised; or impressed. It's what gods are best known for, to be honest."
"And what that might be?"
"Acting like pompous morons. Especially that leader of theirs."
"You're just trying to piss me off for keeping you up, aren't you?" asked Hild, narrowing her eyes at her former student.
"Kind of… I'm also angry that I can't get out of my own cabin," said Surt with an annoyed tone, stopping before he told her too much.
"Oh? Pray tell me what's the problem this time?"
"This!" Pointing to his face, as he fully turned to face her, the little yet painfully noticeable cursed kiss mark was still there, even after a whole day passed since the Daimakaicho used that as a payment for his attempts to keep her from poking her nose to Urd's date.
Struggling not to burst into laughter, as her expression considerably softened, Hild eventually lost the battle with herself and ended up on her back, giggling while kicking her legs in the air. "You're still like that? T-This is so rich!"
"Stop laughing and do something about it! It's not funny!" objected the embarrassed demon as he saw the Daimakaicho's laughter intensify, despite the seriousness of the problem. "I can't get out of my cabin looking like this! What would the others think, if they say me with that stupid kiss mark?"
"Oh, that's an easy question with an equally simple answer!" said Hild, as she tried to sound serious enough to make her former student think that this wasn't just an act.
"And that is?"
"That you've got some serious action last night!" said Hild, before she ended up on her back once more, laughing while the demon simply stared at her with a puzzled expression.
That was of course until he actually realized what she was getting at, and then snapped out of it. "What?! With you?! And while you look like that?! No way!"
Grinning as she willed herself to change to a much more adult form, filling out slowly, until her clothes were stretched in a way that made them so skintight that left almost nothing to the imagination, Hild offered the ruler of Muspelheim a wink. "You shouldn't underestimate me… I've got more skills that you give me credit for. While not having the same majestic proportions of my main body, this version of mine still has the ability to become utterly delicious and sexy! Wouldn't you say so, Surt?"
Instead of the expected reaction, the demon in question gave her a critical look while she ran her hands across her barely covered body, as her clothes hadn't increased in size to properly match her new proportions. "Hm… This kind of reminds me something I've seen in the mortal realm, actually..."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"You know… those motivational posters for starting a diet. This is most certainly fitting for the before picture," said Surt with a big smile. "Any sudden move and that outfit will give away in the most spectacular of ways!"
"Are you calling me fat?!" snarled Hild as she glared at her subordinate, struggling not to blast him for his insinuations. Instead, the demoness decided to teach him a real lesson and for that reason she headed for the door. 'Oh… I'm gonna show you who you're really dealing with…'
Watching her cautiously, as the demoness stepped outside the captain's cabin, Surt wondered what she was trying to do; until he noticed the pair of panties she summoned and without any hesitation she proceeded to put them on. Even if he had no idea whether she was wearing anything underneath her skirt or not, the mere fact that she did that simple act in the hallway outside the cabin was more or less a statement for anyone who got to see her. "W-Wait!... Hild!"
Ignoring the dark haired demon who nearly fell flat on his face as she hurried out of the sleeping bag he was using to sleep more comfortably on the couch, Hild turned around a blew him a kiss in a very dramatic and suggestive way. "I've got a few things to do, but… I'll see you tonight too!"
Poking his head out of the room, Surt stared at the slowly departing demoness who swayed her hips, while several crew members who remained frozen as they got to witness this unexpected sight; especially with their leader standing not far away from them and with an obvious kiss mark on his cheek.
While everyone suddenly realized what kind of trouble they were in and rushed to get back to their jobs, the stunned ruler of Muspelheim had actually failed to react at all, given the absurdity of the whole situation.
'W-What… What was that for?!'
Unfortunately, as Surt would soon find out, rumors spread really fast inside the confines of a ship; especially, when it came to spicy topics that involved themes out of a soap opera.
XXX
Nekomi, Japan
"Hm… strange…"
Inspecting the sword in front of her, Skuld had to admit that this was the most bizarre case she had ever encountered. "Are you sure, he's not just asleep?"
"He's been like that for a while and we can't seem to be able to wake him up," said Peorth, pointing at Excalibur's weapon form. "We didn't pay too much attention at first, but now, we're starting to get worried."
"Interesting… Did anything happen during the night that was out of the ordinary?" Grabbing a little notepad like a detective from a mystery novel, Skuld tried to write down as much information as possible, mostly thinking that this wasn't as serious of a deal as the two goddesses made it seem so.
"Well… he was perfectly fine until Lind decided to sleep with him," said Peorth, much to the Valkyrie's chagrin. "Then we woke up and he was just like a normal sword. I mean, you can see that he's not responding, right?"
'Whoa!... What kind of a plot twist is this? Lind of all goddesses?' Swallowing hard as she scribbled down some notes, Skuld turned to the Valkyrie in question. "So, what do you have to say about such accusations?"
"I've done nothing wrong! I simply put Excalibur under my futon's covers. That's all there is to it," said the war goddess with a frown, glancing over at the silent sword. "I wasn't trying to break him or anything."
Nodding, Skuld looked around the room for any clues and finding none, she scratched her head and turned back to the other goddesses. "Hm… I wonder if someone else knows anything. Maybe we should check their stories too."
"I hate to sound rude or something, but, I don't think that this is a murder case, Skuld," said Peorth, shaking her head at the younger goddess. "We just wanted to see if you knew what to do to revive him, or reboot him… Whatever seems to be the case with Excalibur."
"Actually, I can't say that I'm terribly familiar with the way he works, to be honest with you. He's unlike any of my machines and there seems to be some low level Earth Spirits involved too and…" started Skuld, trying to avoid a particular phrase that she hated to use when it came to a situation like this.
"In other words, you don't know," said Peorth in her place, causing the Norn of the future to look down with a frown.
"Yeah…"
"Then how about we ask someone who's a bit more familiar with him? If my memory serves me right, he used to be under Laguz's care for a long period of time," suggested Lind, hoping to come up with a solution to the problem that might've been her fault to begin with.
Blinking the two other goddesses exchanged a look before they grabbed both the sword and the Valkyrie and dragged them along, heading to the pond outside the house where the blonde goddess resided.
"That's it! Let's give it a try!"
Ignoring the blue haired goddess' protests as they rushed to the exit, the group missed the puzzled expression on Belldandy's face as she checked what was going on, before Keiichi joined his wife after he enjoyed the breakfast she prepared for him.
"What's going on, Bell?"
"No idea, dear… I wonder what they're up to? They appear to be more energetic than usual."
"Well, why don't we find out then?"
Offering her husband a nod, the goddess of the present followed after him, as they headed towards the pond.
XXX
Yawning, Urd opened the door of her room, wondering where everyone had gone to. She was perfectly aware that most of the other residents typically woke up a lot earlier than her, but even then, it was a bit too soon for them to leave the temple grounds. Normally, there should've been a lot more activity, yet the eerie quiet made the half demoness wonder what just happened.
"Oh, you've finally gotten up, sleepyhead."
Turning to her left, Urd noticed Frigg approach her with a smile, carrying what appeared to be a wrapped bottle.
"Grandma! That's for me, right? Right?"
"Always the eager one to get a present. Some things don't change, I guess," said the elder goddess with a giggle as she watched her granddaughter cheerfully bounce, her eyes focused on the offered booze. "I thought it was proper for me to buy you some of the finest sake you can find in Japan. After all, it's not every day my little girl gets a new love interest."
"Thank you so much!" said Urd, as she took the present and cuddled it in a somewhat comedic manner that made the brunette goddess laugh. "I'm so glad that you're happy for us!"
"Of course I am, dear! Just because you've picked a girl this time, isn't enough of a reason for me to disapprove of her," said Frigg, following her granddaughter inside her room where the Norn of the past carefully stashed the precious bottle in the same warded cabinet that acts as her safe for her collection of fine booze.
"No, I meant… Mara's a demoness, so…"
"Ah, you thought I'd oppose you due to her nature, or perhaps worry that history will repeat itself?" asked Frigg, tilting her head as she tapped her chin with an elegant finger. "In all honesty, Urd-chan, there's no example of a successful couple that involves our two species. However, I'll have to point out that it's mostly thanks to the meddling of others that this came to be. Thankfully, we might see the Judgement Gate gone in the near future and as such, you won't have to consider some other options to stay with the one you love."
Letting out a sigh, Urd's happy expression turned out into a more serious one as she stared at her grandmother. "Is that even possible, or simply wishful thinking? I don't want to choose between my sisters and my girlfriend, however… I can't help but wonder what's going to happen after some of the others learn about my relationship."
"People who don't care about your happiness in the first place shouldn't make such decisions for you, Urd-chan."
"Tell me about it! It's not like I'm too worried about their approval, but how they can mess things up for me and Mara," said the half demoness with a grunt. "I know for a fact now that there were more things going on in my parent's relationship than I've originally been aware of. So, it's not what I or Mara may want that matters, but those who want to ban such relationships that makes me worried."
"Alas, it is undeniably true. Out of all the supporters of the Judgement Gate, there was always a rather loud minority that didn't care about the spirit of the law. Instead, they tried to make matters so difficult for those subjected to the Test that they would practically turn it into the ban they've always wanted to enforce," explained Frigg, shaking her head. "Still, that's not a reason to give up and admit defeat, Urd-chan. The situation has changed and the current state of the Judgement Gate is a great opportunity to make matters harder for them for a change. As such, you don't have to worry about having to pick between anyone; just try to live your life the way you want, not according to someone else's will."
"Thank you grandmother, you've always been so supportive of me," said Urd, smiling once again as she gave the elder goddess a hug. "Even though I'm a half goddess… or demoness, you still treat me the same."
"It's sad that things had gotten to this point, but our efforts to improve our society had backfired in ways that none of us had neither anticipated nor wanted. In the past, especially before our species started to compete each other so ruthlessly, relations were much better and it was a lot easier to see our opponents as a different society of immortals; not as an enemy we had to crush," said the elder goddess, trying to recall an era long gone. "Back then, it wasn't unheard for members of either side to form friendships and even consider themselves as lovers. Sadly that carefree period of time was soon replaced by greed and fear, as we realized that in the end, we'd have to share resources and prior to our reunion we've gotten used to the idea that everything within our reach was ours."
"Wait? Reunion?" asked the confused half demoness. "What reunion?"
"Most history books talk about a First Contact between our species, however, I can assure you that this is one big, fat lie. There was some proof of previous interactions with the demonic tribe and even artifacts that were a clear sign of trade. It's a very touchy subject and one that used to be a restricted topic," said Frigg, watching the rather bewildered look on her granddaughter's face. "Late during my husband's rule, we've lifted the restriction from the topic, as the only ones knowing about it anymore were so few that we decided that there was no point of using such measures anymore. Even worse, those who wanted to withhold that information may have caused the entire enmity between our two species or rather… the two versions of the same species after the campaign to subjugate Niflheim had required the mobilization of the entirety of the military forces that were available at that point of time."
"And those forces were the… demons?"
"Not really. Actually, I've probably picked the wrong term to describe the only soldier that existed back then; Ymir. He created the demons or rather the prototype versions of them and led the newly formed species in a war to capture Niflheim and secure the entrance of the cavern where Nidhogg lies. It's hard to say for sure, but once he left, the one who became the first Daitenkaicho must've attempted to shut him out of Asgard and avoid sharing the world with him. Of course, that only was a minor setback and contrary to what one would've expected, not only Ymir made it through the entire ordeal alive, but he also formed a species that rivaled ours."
"Wait a moment, grandma! What was Ymir doing in Asgard to begin with?"
"That, I cannot say, Urd-chan. I've got no information as to where exactly he was formed, yet I know that the most likely creator for both our species was an entity which in turn was made from Yggdrasil and acted upon the orders of the Tree. It's mere speculation what the original purpose of our species was, as the one who relayed that information was the aforementioned being; Audumbla."
"And what happened to… that… whatever that thing was? I've never heard of it, let alone being our creator."
"Like I said, the details are a bit sketchy, Urd-chan. I think that Buri, the first of the gods was indeed created in a fashion by that being, although, Ymir was apparently already existing at that point of time and nourished to his full power by that entity. As to what happened to Audumbla is anyone's guess. There are no records from that era and the only one who might have something to say about it, is Ymir himself; the only surviving first generation immortal that I'm aware of." Pausing as she seemed to consider her words, Frigg decided that this was as good as any other opportunity and went even further. "That would be your maternal grandfather, providing what Surt had told me is accurate."
"So, that's what he wanted to talk to you the other day… I kind of figured it out, but, didn't wish to say too much," said Urd, scratching her chin in thought. "Still, how is it possible that you can reveal all that to me and most of all… Why?"
"I can say a lot of things that were never written down in history and as such, no recordings exist in the System. As such, placing protectors over them is all but impossible, since there are no corresponding files to lock. That actually also explains why I'm telling you this, Urd-chan. At some point of time, I wanted to pass that knowledge to someone for posterity's sake. It's unsafe to be the only one who knows something and the fact that we don't have all the details is a direct result of that practice; as little by little certain secrets were lost."
"Um… that sounded a bit ominous, grandma…"
"No worries, child. I'm not going anywhere, but… I've got a feeling that the situation with your grandparents will make you seek for answers and, those might not even exist anymore. Unfortunately, most of the things I want to tell you are under a protector, so, I won't be able to provide as much information as I'd like. I do however want to point out that your maternal grandmother was... is… a person you can trust and I hope you can tell that to your mother eventually. I'm sure that a lot of things might've happened to her since the last time I've met her, yet despite the changes, I firmly believe that she's still the same person to a certain degree and don't consider her as a backstabbing demoness who wants to exploit you, Urd-chan."
"You know her?" asked the curious Norn of the past as she noticed the look on Frigg's face.
"Yes, and she was a nice goddess, actually. Unfortunately I cannot really say more than that, my child. It's kind of ironic, but your mother is partially of celestial descent, even if she's not a hybrid like you."
"How's that even possible?"
Before Frigg had the chance to reply to that rather obvious question, she realized that the one who asked it wasn't her granddaughter, but someone she really wished to avoid telling all that. Indeed, standing next to them was the one thousandth avatar of Hild in a tiny form, before she resumed her normal childlike appearance and looked between Frigg and Urd.
"What's going on here?! What do you mean that my mother was a goddess?!"
Wincing a bit, Urd glanced over at the elder goddess who also appeared to be at loss of words, too. Neither of them had expected to have to explain the situation to Hild and by the looks of it, the Daimakaicho wasn't one to be denied.
"Well? I've asked a question, didn't I?"
"Alright, I think it's about time you'll hear about it, Hild," said Frigg, motioning her former daughter in law to approach. "Bear in mind that I cannot say much, so, Urd-chan as a demoness and under your jurisdiction will have to reveal the rest. Oh, and you might also want to ask Surt for a few more details."
Letting a sigh, the little Daimakaicho tried to calm herself down, and walked closer, hovering in a sitting position. "I just came to see what Ma-chan and Urd-chan were up to and… Okay, now, tell me everything."
"Very well. You see…"
AN: I would like to thank everyone that has offered their feedback and support both here and on the Goddess Relief site.
There are a few things that I'd like to note for this chapter.
This is a two part chapter, starting with this one and hopefully concluding the various plots on the next chapter. After all, I'd like to avoid having Frigg and Urd explain everything to Hild, as it would've been a repetition of a previous chapter, so, this way I can resume after the whole discussion had taken place.
While I did pay a lot of attention at the physical aspect of Urd and Mara's relationship, I'll have to point out that in the long run, that's not what I consider as important and the basis for their relationship. For now, it's mostly a means to have something to keep their minds occupied, with Urd having to deal with her internal conflicts and her role in the world, and Mara getting over the idea of showing affection in a more romantic manner.
Considering that the holidays season is coming up, I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to get the new chapter before the end of the year, but, I'll try to release it as soon as possible.